Highest Scores Ever for Arterberry Maresh 2016s: We Were Right

Ecstatic Friday Oregon wine fans!

In the humblest way possible...we were right, and we know what we're talking about. We told you months ago that Jim Arterberry Maresh's 2016 wines were his best in years and this morning, we had some big time agreement from Wine Advocate. The highest scores ever for Arterberry Maresh -- 96 points -- for two of his 2016 Pinots, both of which we've highly recommended and written about.

2016 was an especially meaningful vintage for Jim -- it was the year his son was born -- and there's something almost mystical at work that Maresh vineyard enjoyed near ideal ripening conditions in September '16.The results are the best Arterberry Maresh wines in years, and the highest scoring ever!

Our review from a month ago:"Elegant power.That's the theme this beauty conveys. It floats effortlessly yet displays richness.A purer expression of Oregon Pinot noir may not exist:old vines, picked at the perfect time, treated the right way, unobscured by new oak, wonderfully balanced in its unstoppable fruit, buoyant freshness, and just-under 13% alcohol. From the most prized block of Maresh Vineyard, Block 3, planted in 1974. As Jim has said many times, this exquisite fruit needs no makeup. It glows like a red sun over the Dundee Hills. Only 371 cases produced, compared to 1200 cases the last couple vintages, so you better grab it now - Marcus "

96 points Wine Advocate:"The 2016 Pinot Noir Old Vines has a lovely pure nose of pink peppercorn, dried black tea leaves, red and black licorice and violets with dried cranberries, red cherries and layers and layers of spice. Medium to full-bodied, it has amazing concentration of flavor in the mouth, blossoming out to pure red fruits and spicy layers, with cinnamon and autumn leaves accents, very fine-grained tannins and juicy acidity, finishing very, very long with tons of earth-laced fruit. Wow!"

Our review from months ago:"The first ever bottling of Arterberry Maresh "Old Vines" is positively gorgeous! Breathtaking balance and purity, unlike anything we've seen from Jim Maresh since his epic 2010s. A blend of Maresh and Weber Vineyards, sporting an average vine age of -- let this sink in -- 42 years. Unrivaled in its pedigree, this is everything we've ever loved about Arterberry Maresh Pinot noirs, and that is a lot, rolled into one. It is perfect Pinot noir.

Perfumed and succulent, voluminous yet ethereal, it's the kind of wine I love to drink and love to share. Exquisitely fresh and silky, with a pulsing persistence, I find it totally irresistible. Weighing in at only 12.8% alcohol, it is delightfully refreshing. YES!" - Marcus

93 points Wine Advocate:"The 2016 Pinot Noir Dundee Hills has a lovely open nose of warm cinnamon stick, cranberry and baked red cherry pie with black tea leaf and potpourri spice. Light to medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with warm red fruit and layers of baking spice, earth and mineral-dried leaves, oolong tea, warm earth-with a good frame of fine-grained tannins and plenty of juicy acidity, finishing long and spicy."

More from Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Pinot Noirs from Arterberry Maresh offer amazing layers of sweet, precise fruits, exotic spices and earth-everything you want from great Pinot Noir. They're concentrated and jam-packed with flavor while still maintaining excellent grainy tannic structure and very juicy acidity, not to mention they age beautifully. Jim Maresh is also crafting some beautiful Chardonnays, some of the most exciting Chardonnays I have tasted from Oregon. Jim attributes much of his success to his fruit, which comes from old vines planted by his family in the early 1970s and are entirely dry farmed."

We're looking forward to helping you with an order. Thanks for your support and have a fantastic holiday weekend!

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Purple Wine Company, Inc., a California limited liability company, and its AVALON brand are not in any way affiliated with Avalon Wine, Inc, an Oregon corporation, or Avalon Wine's store at its physical location in Oregon.

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